SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Electrical shock / short

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20220113-19726-2147358008. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: Black and Decker WMD 200 B (120Volt, 60 Hz, 1200 Watt, UL listed (Black and Decker Waffle Maker, double flip (one upper and one lower iron, rotates to make two waffles at once. Lida open up to accept batter and then closed and are engaged forward to lock closed. The irons are about 7 1/2 inches in Diameter. The appliance is about 8 " width x 5" ht. x 13" long. Model WMD 200 B (120Volt, 60 Hz, 1200 Watt, UL listed). Incident: I purchased a Black and Decker Double Flip Waffle Maker WMD 200 B from JCPenny on Nov. 26, 2021. I used the waffle maker for the 3rd. time at my Son in Law and Daughter's house. on Dec. 22, 2021. I was at a gathering of 6 people including myself. I was seated at a card table with the waffle maker. The other 5 people were around in front of me. When the light indicated the waffle maker was ready, I put a normal amount of batter in the waffle maker, engaged the latch, waited 10 seconds, rotated it, an added a similar amount of batter to the empty side, and engaged the latch. About 1 and a half minutes later (time uncertain), The top of the upper chamber blew open and I felt a force hit my chest. The waffle maker lid had broken where it meets the rotation part of the waffle maker. The rim of the waffle maker didn't have any excess batter. Using a rag, I was able to turn the waffle maker and remove the lower waffle. We were all shocked to say the least! Later, after I removed my shirt, I was stunned to see shards of plastic fall from my shirt with some still embedded in my shirt. If I had had the waffle maker on a kitchen counter, a higher height, the blast would have hit me in the face. The Incident occurred on Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021 ~ 5:30 pm. In Tucson AZ. I believe this was a dangerous event and warrants immediate attention